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Olly Murs, the former X Factor contestant, Xtra Factor presenter and (briefly) X Factor presenter, isn't too impressed by the attitudes of some of the singers who now go on the show.

The main problem, Murs says, is that the contestants want instant fame - and appear to believe in their own celebrity before they've had any real-world success.

"A lot of them are in it for the wrong reasons. A lot gave [me] the impression they were in it to be famous and not because they wanted to release music," Murs told Metro.co.uk, speaking about contestants he met in previous years.

Olly Murs performing British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park in 2016

"When I did Xtra Factor, they all believed in all the hype and believed they were bigger than they were," he added. "You’ve got to remember it’s X Factor, the biggest show on TV, but when you come off the show you’re not anyone. You’ve had one single, or not even got a single. Now prove to people you’re a real deal."

While Murs was not speaking directly about this year's batch of contestants – he says he still needs to sit down and catch up on the 2016 show – his comments come in the wake of increasing controversy about whether or not everyone on the show is a "genuine" aspiring musician.

Rapper Honey G has come for a particularly high level of scrutiny, after allegations that she is merely a "joke" act, deliberately placed in the finals to help generate headlines. So far, however, the voting public have opted to keep the 35-year-old (real name is Anna Georgette Gilford) in the competition.

Previously, an X Factor spokesperson told The Telegraph that Gilford auditioned herself, and was not scouted by producers ahead of the show's broadcast.

Murs, who was the X Factor runner-up in 2009, admitted during his first televised audition that he wanted to be "famous" and "an international superstar".

But he says that while he was on the show he always took things seriously, acknowledging that the X Factor could have a monumental impact on his future career.

"When I was on the show I genuinely couldn’t believe I was on X Factor. Whereas some of them over the last few years feel like 'oh whatever, X Factor’s like whatever,' Murs said.

‘No it’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened in your life. It was the biggest thing that ever happened in my life. Even now. I just felt some people just didn’t appreciate it enough."